Neuromotor Mechanisms in the Evolution of Human Communication

Neuromotor Mechanisms in the Evolution of Human Communication PDF Author: Kimura, Doreen
Publisher: London [Ont] : Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario
ISBN: 9780771400421
Category : Laterality
Languages : en
Pages : 80

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Neuromotor Mechanisms in the Evolution of Human Communication

Neuromotor Mechanisms in the Evolution of Human Communication PDF Author: Kimura, Doreen
Publisher: London [Ont] : Department of Psychology, University of Western Ontario
ISBN: 9780771400421
Category : Laterality
Languages : en
Pages : 80

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Book Description


The Naked Neuron

The Naked Neuron PDF Author: Rhawn Joseph
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1489960082
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 440

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Book Description
In the beginning there was not only life but the ability to communicate and eventually to cooperate among the most basic, primeval creatures. In The Naked Neuron Dr. Joseph - an internationally respected neuroscientist and author of the highly praised The Right Brain and the Unconscious: Discovering the Stranger Within - takes us on an intriguing journey through time as he traces the evolution of communication and language from the most primitive single-celled animals to our earliest ancestors to humans today. As he so clearly demonstrates, we are linked to all levels of animals in a common bond of sensing, feeling, and communication. Be it singing wolves, dancing bees, or writhing rock and roll dancers, all communicate a treasure chest of meaning in the absence of the spoken word. Approximately 700 million years ago, a unique type of cell came into being - the neuron. This "naked" neuron, or nerve cell, lacked a protective fatty sheath. Still, it marked a monumental and world altering development, since it would become the building block of the brain. The naked neuron generated a revolutionary change resulting in a greater complexity and subtlety of thought. Dr. Joseph vividly depicts how neurons conferred on early humans advanced powers of mental and sensory acuity, including the gift of remembering one's past and contemplating the future. Although humans possess much of the same ancient brain tissue as our fellow primates, Dr. Joseph reveals to us the singular features of the human brain that have enabled humans uniquely to develop complex, spoken language. He holds us spellbound, revealing that although the new and old brain tissue are couched within the same brain, each often has difficulty understanding the impulses and language of the other. This ground-breaking book draws on Dr. Joseph's brilliant and original research and theories, fusing the latest discoveries made in neuroscience, sociobiology, and anthropology. He illuminates how the languages of the body and brain enhance intuitive understanding and spur a thirst for knowledge for its own sake. The human body and brain together are a veritable living museum which contains billions of cells with a long evolutionary history. As this unforgettable book shows, it is the communication of this panoply of cells - the residues of the past merged with the musings of the present - that gives rise to life, love, art, science, literature, and the ceaseless desire to search for and acquire knowledge

Apes and Human Evolution

Apes and Human Evolution PDF Author: Russell H. Tuttle
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674073169
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 1089

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Book Description
In this masterwork, Russell H. Tuttle synthesizes a vast research literature in primate evolution and behavior to explain how apes and humans evolved in relation to one another, and why humans became a bipedal, tool-making, culture-inventing species distinct from other hominoids. Along the way, he refutes the influential theory that men are essentially killer apes—sophisticated but instinctively aggressive and destructive beings. Situating humans in a broad context, Tuttle musters convincing evidence from morphology and recent fossil discoveries to reveal what early primates ate, where they slept, how they learned to walk upright, how brain and hand anatomy evolved simultaneously, and what else happened evolutionarily to cause humans to diverge from their closest relatives. Despite our genomic similarities with bonobos, chimpanzees, and gorillas, humans are unique among primates in occupying a symbolic niche of values and beliefs based on symbolically mediated cognitive processes. Although apes exhibit behaviors that strongly suggest they can think, salient elements of human culture—speech, mating proscriptions, kinship structures, and moral codes—are symbolic systems that are not manifest in ape niches. This encyclopedic volume is both a milestone in primatological research and a critique of what is known and yet to be discovered about human and ape potential.

Tools, Language and Cognition in Human Evolution

Tools, Language and Cognition in Human Evolution PDF Author: Kathleen Rita Gibson
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521485418
Category : Computers
Languages : en
Pages : 506

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Book Description
Looks at how humans have evolved complex behaviours such as language and culture.

The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology

The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology PDF Author: David M. Buss
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 0471727229
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 1057

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Book Description
The foundations of practice and the most recent discoveries intheintriguing newfield of evolutionary psychology Why is the mind designed the way it is? How does input from theenvironment interact with the mind to produce behavior? By takingaim at such questions, the science of evolutionary psychology hasemerged as a vibrant new discipline producing groundbreakinginsights. In The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology,leading contributors discuss the foundations of the field as wellas recent discoveries currently shaping this burgeoning area ofpsychology. Guided by an editorial board made up of such luminaries as LedaCosmides, John Tooby, Don Symons, Steve Pinker, Martin Daly, MargoWilson, and Helena Cronin, the text's chapters delve into acomprehensive range of topics, covering the full range of thediscipline: Foundations of evolutionary psychology Survival Mating Parenting and kinship Group living Interfaces with traditional disciplines of evolutionarypsychology And interfaces across disciplines. In addition to an in-depth survey of the theory and practice ofevolutionary psychology, the text also features an enlighteningdiscussion of this discipline in the context of the law, medicine,and culture. An Afterword by Richard Dawkins provides some finalthoughts from the renowned writer and exponent of evolutionarytheory. Designed to set the standard for handbooks in the field,The Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology is an indispensablereference tool for every evolutionary psychologist and student.

Neuropsychology

Neuropsychology PDF Author: David Andrewes
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 1134950462
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 611

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Book Description
This comprehensive textbook provides an up-to-date and accessible account of the theories that seek to explain the complex relationship between brain and behaviour. Drawing on the latest research findings from the disciplines of neuropsychology, neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience and cognitive neuropsychology, the author provides contemporary models of neuropsychological processes. The book provides a fresh perspective that takes into account the modern advances of functional neuroimaging and other new research techniques. The emphasis at all times is on bridging the gap between theory and practice - discussion of theoretical models is framed in a clinical context and the author makes frequent use of case studies to illustrate the clinical context. There is coverage of the neuropsychology of disorders associated with areas such as perception, attention, memory and language, emotion, and movement. A third-generation text, this book uniquely aims to integrate these different areas by describing the common influences of these functions. Following on from this there is information on the clinical management of patients in the area of recovery and rehabilitation. These last chapters focus on the author's own experience and illustrate the importance of a more systematic approach to intervention, which takes into account theoretical views of recovery from brain damage. Neuropsychology: From Theory to Practice is the first comprehensive textbook to cover research from all disciplines committed to understanding neuropsychology. It will provide a valuable resource for students, professionals and clinicians.

Attention and Performance Xiii

Attention and Performance Xiii PDF Author: Marc Jeannerod
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 1134753691
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 900

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Book Description
Compiled as a result of the Thirteenth Symposium of the Association for Attention and Performance, this collection focuses on the Symposium's theme: Organization of Action. The book is arranged in sections which provide a comprehensive view of the main issues raised during the meeting. Several aspects of the theme were considered, including: the anatomical and physiological constraints on motor preparation and execution . the influence of control (proprioceptive, cutaneous, visual, oculomotor) signals the contribution of kinematics to the understanding of the underlying mechanisms and the role of cognitive constraints such as attention or learning in goal selection This new volume is of particular interest to professionals and researchers in cognitive psychology, physiology, and neuropsychology as well as those studying motor skills.

Comparative Vertebrate Cognition

Comparative Vertebrate Cognition PDF Author: Lesley J. Rogers
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1441989137
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 393

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Book Description
This book explores afresh the long-standing interest, and emphasis on, the `special' capacities of primates. Some of the recent discoveries of the higher cognitive abilities of other mammals and also birds challenge the concept that primates are special and even the view that the cognitive ability of apes is more advanced than that of nonprimate mammals and birds. It is therefore timely to ask whether primates are, in fact, special and to do so from a broad range of perspectives. Divided into five sections this book deals with topics about higher cognition and how it is manifested in different species, and also considers aspects of brain structure that might be associated with complex behavior.

Precursors of Early Speech

Precursors of Early Speech PDF Author: Bjorn Lindblom
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 1349080233
Category : Language Arts & Disciplines
Languages : en
Pages : 316

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Book Description


Language Origin: A Multidisciplinary Approach

Language Origin: A Multidisciplinary Approach PDF Author: Jan Wind
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9401720398
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 549

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Book Description
Language Origin: A Multidisciplinary Approach presents a synthesis of viewpoints and data on linguistic, psychological, anatomical and behavioral studies on living species of Primates and provides a comparative framework for the evaluation of paleoanthropological studies. This double endeavor makes it possible to direct new research on the nature and evolution of human language and cognition. The book is directed to students of linguistics, biology, anthropoloy, anatomy, physiology, neurology, psychology, archeology, paleontology, and other related fields. A better understanding of speech pathology may stem from a better understanding of the relationship of human communication to the evolution of our species. The book is conceived as a timely contribution to such knowledge since it allows, for the first time, a systematic assessment of the origins of human language from a comprehensive array of scientific viewpoints.